LOWER EAST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) — Daniel Hyden, 44, is facing numerous charges, including multiple counts of negligence resulting in death, in connection with a drunk driving crash that killed three people and injured eight.
The accident happened just before 9 p.m. Thursday at 645 Water Street on the Lower East Side.
Eyewitness News obtained exclusive surveillance camera footage that shows the truck traveling eastbound on Water Street at a high rate of speed.
Authorities said the truck was speeding through the intersection of Water and Cherry streets, crashed into a fence and then careened into a crowd of people, including families who were having a Fourth of July picnic at the time.
Police officials estimate the suspect, Daniel Hyden, 44, of South Brunswick, New Jersey, was driving at about 40 miles per hour. It’s unclear where he had been drinking before crashing through two sets of fences and striking pedestrians.
Hyden was charged with eight counts of reckless assault with a deadly weapon resulting in serious injury, vehicular homicide resulting in multiple deaths, operating a vehicle while intoxicated and second-degree unlicensed driving.
Daniel Hyden, suspected of drunk driving after plowed into a crowd and killing three people, is in police custody.
Police said he was driving with a suspended license after failing to respond to four summonses in a three-day period.
Emergency personnel arrived on scene within three minutes and found four victims pinned beneath a grey Ford F-150 pickup truck in Corears Hook Park.
The FDNY worked with the NYPD ESU to extricate the patient from underneath the vehicle.
Police say Anna Morell, 43, was killed along with Lucille Pinckney, 59, and her son Herman Pinckney, 38.
“My mother always made sure I had a serious understanding of life,” said Diamond Pinkey, Lucille Pinkey’s son. “She taught me everything: how life works, how it works.”
One of the injured is in critical condition, while the other six are in stable condition.
The youngest of the injured was just 11 years old.
“He made a hard right turn and a whole bunch of people started screaming. He walked onto the batting field. That’s where we normally have barbecues. It’s family that we all know. The Lower East Side sticks together,” the neighbor said.
Police said Hyden was suspected of drunk driving and was subdued by well-wishers and held until police arrived on scene.
Police said he refused to take a breathalyzer and a blood sample was taken.
NYPD Sergeant John Chell appeared on Eye Witness News Mornings @10 to discuss the fatal accident.
NYPD Patrol Captain John Chell speaks with the Mornings @ 10 team about the crash and other tragedies on the Lower East Side.
Hyden has been arrested several times in New York City on assault charges.
In February, he was charged with assault and harassment after allegedly hitting a teacher in the eye.
He was also arrested for drunk driving in Wisconsin in 2015. He pleaded guilty to a traffic offense and the case was dismissed.
Hyden is a substance abuse counselor and author of the 2020 book “The Sober Addict,” described as “a practical guide on how to effectively live with and cope with the dysfunctional, lifelong illness of addiction.”
“What goes around comes around,” Crystal Jimenez said. “What goes around comes around. I just pray that God have mercy on your soul.”
Related story: Man charged with suspected drunk driving in fatal nail salon crash, community mourns victim
Lucy Yang attended the vigil where hundreds of people gathered to mourn the victims.
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